Break in Boca Raton

I spent my break in Boca Raton Florida. I have been there before. But it was different this time. Thats where my boyfriend, Ian, is from. He grew up there with his mother and father and brother, Drew. Drew is older, Ian thinks he is the coolest person alive, although he wouldn't admit to it. Drew went to Notre Dame, he graduated in 2008, one year after Ian and I graduated high school. He met Donna on the first day of college and dated her from then on. Donna is the sister Ian never had.
Although Ian promised the break would be spend on the warm sand under the blazing sun on delray beach, he didn't know what would be in store for us when we arrived. We spent 2 hours on 2 different days on the beach, hardly what you would call a beach trip. We spent most of our time on the futon in front of the television in the cool woodfloored and white walled rectangle of a living room in Ian's parent's town house. Drew and Donna were there, only unlike the happy, fun presence they normally bring to a room, they brought anger and sadness.
You see, Donna and Drew had broken up months before and neglected to tell us about it. Yet, being 6 years into a relationship at the time of the break up they were unwilling to admit that friendship was just too far off for achievement. Donna would sit with me on the futon instead of with Drew on the chairs, and they would often hurry up the stairs to cry and shout and make a big scene, all the while pretending to stay discreet.
Ian and I soon learned that we preferred that comfort of a giant dark auditorium for out movie going dates, and developed an increased interest in dining out and shopping. If only the weather had been slightly better, we could have stayed on the beach all day. Anything would have been preferable to the tense company of love lost.

Personal response to Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front by Wendell Berry

I find this to be a very powerful form of writing. He uses commands to grab the readers attention and convince them to live in the manner he is advocating. He wants the reader to appreciate what is all around them and live their life to the fullest, loving and caring for nature, appreciating all of its wonders. I think it is a very effective way of conveying this point because he essentially calls people to action, yet the action he desires is not as obvious and stated as you would think. I like how he ends the poem with the statement about the fox and how it lays down tracks in many direction so you can pin it down,and catch it. But he doesn't just suggest that this is a good way to live, he commands it. "Be like the fox, who makes more tracks than necessary, some in the wrong direction." I think there is something very bold and strong about this piece. I think the right way to explain it would be to say that he employs Ethos to convey his message and grab the readers attention. It works well.

Analysis of delivery in john muir readings

The john muir readings which I wrote of in my last post are full of feeling and meaning. it is extremely clear how Muir feels about the environment and the state of the world. However, he does not use visuals like photos cartoons etc, to convey this. I think he felt he didn't need them when he sat down and wrote about this topic because it is such an important topic to him. He had such a compelling argument on his own. I think that had he used some photos of the parks he speaks of, it would only have helped to support his argument. However, it wasn't necessary in order to get his message across. He uses visual cues as he switches paragraphs without transitions. This is his harsh way of moving the story forward and keeping the reader on their toes. I think it makes the harsh situation of the environment seem stronger and it enforces the argument further.